Wet the Bronze Axle
by Sefilin
Summary: Ranma cheers Kasumi up and a friendship is born.


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Wet the Bronze Axle  
A Ranma ½ Fanfic  
By Sefilin (aka Lei)  
  
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Disclaimer: Ranma ½ copyright Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan,   
Viz Communications, Inc., and associated parties  
  
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Kasumi watched Tofu-sensei as he blundered around his   
clinic, dancing with Betty-chan and humming a waltz, the   
lenses of his glasses fogged up enough that he tripped over   
the examination table, ending up giggling nervously on the   
floor. She sighed heavily to herself and made her way out of   
the clinic without saying sayonara to any of its occupants.   
She stared at her feet, not looking where she was going as she   
began to walk aimlessly through the streets of Nerima.  
  
For a number of years Kasumi had hoped that Tofu-sensei   
would finally overcome his difficulty around her and go back   
to being the kind young man he had been before he had noticed   
her. As soon as he had he had gone off the deep end.  
  
But now it was time to give up on him. She had already   
waited long enough for him and she refused to wait longer.   
She quietly wiped the tears from her eyes and sat down next to   
the canal in front of her staring at the colours of the sunset   
reflected in the dark water.   
  
Ranma watched Kasumi as she sat on the bank of the   
canal, carefully arranging her skirt beneath her. He frowned   
and wondered what was wrong; she seemed to be crying and he   
hated seeing women crying. And even more, there was something   
about the ever-cheerful, ever-helpful Kasumi crying that   
struck him hard.  
  
When she had first walked into the clinic where he had   
been receiving treatment for another of his Akane-related   
injuries his only thought had been to get out. Unfortunately   
Kasumi had been blocking the door so he had dived under the   
table. Tofu-sensei had begun his usual maniacal song and   
dance.  
  
But then something strange had happened. While watching   
Tofu for the possibility of him stumbling across him Ranma's   
eyes had fallen on Kasumi. He had watched in shock as a small   
light in her eyes slowly extinguished, a small light he had   
never noticed before. Then Kasumi had left without a   
sayonara, something he was sure she had never done before, and   
headed off, her head bent.  
  
Without thinking Ranma had followed her, keeping an eye   
on her. He hadn't noticed the passing of time until she had   
finally stopped and he noticed the blazing sunset echoing   
across the sky.  
  
Coming to a decision, Ranma leapt over the fence and sat   
next to Kasumi, letting her know he was there, but not saying   
anything. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.   
Her face was still solemn and he could still see the evidence   
of tears on her face. He turned and looked down at the water.  
  
Kasumi shifted slightly. "Ranma-kun, why do you think   
Tofu-sensei acts like that?"  
  
Ranma blinked and snuck another look at her. "Um, well   
because he, um, well, he l-loves you, Kasumi."  
  
"Yes. But why can't he act like...like...like you do   
with Akane-chan? Why does he have to...to..."  
  
"To go insane?"  
  
Kasumi winced, "Yeah."  
  
"We didn't think you knew how he felt."  
  
"I know, but I'm not blind and you have to admit, it   
*is* kind of obvious."  
  
"Well, yeah."  
  
"I was really hoping he would get over it, you know? He   
used to be such a wonderful guy, but now...well... You've   
seen him. He just goes crazy, and there's no way I could ever, ever think about marrying him when he's like that."  
  
Ranma remained silent and Kasumi looked up and smiled   
wryly into his blue eyes. The smile died when she saw the   
look of understanding and sympathy in his eyes. Sympathy, but   
no pity. She smiled again, more genuinely this time.  
  
"You're a nice guy, Ranma-kun."  
  
"Uh..." Ranma's face began to heat up.  
  
Kasumi laughed a little before going back to her   
contemplation of the scene in front of her, not that she   
really saw it. Her mind was still on Tofu-sensei and the   
release of her hopes regarding him. Then her thoughts turned   
to her sister's fiancee and as she thought she realised that   
of everyone he probably would be the only one to truly   
understand.  
  
"Ranma?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you ever feel the same way? I mean about Akane?   
That she'll never stop blaming you for everything?"  
  
Ranma didn't say anything for long moments and Kasumi   
had just decided he wasn't going to when he opened his mouth.  
  
"Yeah, sometimes." His voice was as quiet as hers had   
been. "She can be really nice sometimes, y'know? But she   
always blames me, no matter what happens." Ranma laughed   
briefly, "Not that the others don't also. Sometimes I think   
it's one of Nerima City by-laws or something. 'Saotome Ranma   
is always to blame.'"  
  
"I do seem to remember reading something of the sort."   
Kasumi giggled and Ranma snorted, unable to resist that sound.  
  
"I knew it!" Ranma was smiling.  
  
"And of course, there's the other by-law." Kasumi was   
also smiling.  
  
"Oh? Which one is that?"  
  
"The one that says 'Tendo Kasumi must never be told   
anything.'"  
  
Ranma looked across at Kasumi, startled at the   
bitterness in her voice.  
  
"Kasumi?"  
  
Kasumi sighed, "I'm sorry Ranma, it's just that ever   
since I took over mother's position in the household, people   
have been ignoring me. I suppose me realising that Tofu-  
sensei's not about to change is hitting me harder than I   
thought and everything seems to be worse than it really is."  
  
Ranma hung his head, guilty. It was true, he thought to   
himself, they did all take Kasumi for granted, ignoring her,   
knowing she would always be there, an area of peace in a   
chaotic world, always willing to make tea for someone. Yet no   
one ever really noticed her, not even Tofu-sensei, with his   
glasses fogged over. And there was no one she could talk   
to, at least no one who made themselves available for her.   
She had to be lonely.  
  
Ranma's guilt crystallised a resolution within him.   
He'd try to talk to Akane about it, and if neither she nor   
anyone else was willing to be there for Kasumi, then he would   
be.  
  
"Ranma-kun, it's alright. There's nothing for you to   
worry about, I'll be fine."  
  
Ranma nodded slowly.  
  
"Kasumi?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"If you ever, um, if you ever want to talk, well, I'm   
here, okay?"   
  
Kasumi looked at him blankly for a few seconds and   
smiled, humouring him. "Thank you, Ranma. But I will be   
fine."   
  
"Kasumi! I know what it's like to be lonely, even if   
you've got lots of fiancees." He grimaced a little. "Besides,   
I think I'd like to have someone to talk to as well."  
  
At that Kasumi actually looked at Ranma for the first   
time ever. He was, she realised, both more mature and more   
sensitive than she had given him credit for. He had   
recognised that she was lonely, something she had only   
recently discovered herself, in the past few hours, in fact.   
Kasumi saw a similar emptiness within her soon-to-be brother-  
in-law and felt compassion welling up within her. Ranma was,   
in a way, ignored as much as she was. Kasumi almost laughed   
out loud, she hadn't known that they had anything in common at   
all and now she was finding out that underneath everything,   
they had a lot in common.  
  
"Thank you, Ranma," And this time when she said it, she   
truly meant it, "I'd like that."  
  
He flashed her a white smile, which she returned.  
  
Standing, Ranma held out his hand towards Kasumi and   
pulled her gently up.  
  
"Let's go home, 'kay? Everyone's probably really   
worried by now, not to mention the fact that they'll be   
wanting their dinner."  
  
Kasumi finally noticed the fact that it was dark. "I   
forgot entirely about it."  
  
Ranma titled his head to one side for a second.  
  
"Tell you what? Why don't we pick up some takeout on   
the way back?"  
  
They smiled at each other and headed back towards the   
dojo.  
  
==Owari==  
  
http://www.geocities.com/sefilin/  
sefilin@yahoo.com  
  



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